Great day a shearwater!!!
bit gusty but got to test my new 4.7 that i got for free!! Thanks again Greg!!!
Broke my base before i even got in the water So thanks to the guy who lent me 1


Will upload some pics later

Hope to see you back Alex have fun with the 4.7

Hey Alex, glad I could help you with the base.
Btw, are you getting your feet in the straps yet?

Hey,
I tried a couple of times to get my feet in the straps but can't seem to get it. I got my front foot in twice but when i tried to put my back foot i turned into the wind and stopped.. then fell off Every other time i tried i just lost all power in the sail and turned into the wind. I know what i have to do... i've been told to lean the sail forward which sounds simple enough but it feels really awkward. but i wasn't able to rig my sail properly because i had a bent mast extension so that probably didn't help...

Great to see some photos. Go Alex. Mate you will get it together, just spend more time on the water. Maybe you need a wetsuit, bit cold for shorts?

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Aussiex said...

Hey,
I tried a couple of times to get my feet in the straps but can't seem to get it. I got my front foot in twice but when i tried to put my back foot i turned into the wind and stopped.. then fell off Every other time i tried i just lost all power in the sail and turned into the wind. I know what i have to do... i've been told to lean the sail forward which sounds simple enough but it feels really awkward. but i wasn't able to rig my sail properly because i had a bent mast extension so that probably didn't help...

G'day Aussie.
When you are trying to get into the straps the last thing you want to be doing is leaning your sail forward. Leaning your sail forward is for steering in sub planing conditions and as you know it will make the board turn down wind. When you are starting to get powered up and the board increases speed you are getting into board steering territory. When you are at the point where the board is feeling like it's about to plane you obviously have some power and if you lean the sail forward you are transferring your centre of gravity forward and setting yourself up for a catapult if you don't let go.
So what you need to do is use sail steering to get the board across the wind and hook into your harness before you get too much power then concentrate on pulling all your weight downwards onto the boom. The reason the board keeps turning up wind on you is because once you have got your front foot in the strap your foot is further out towards the rail of the board then you are trying to lift your back foot up to put it into the rear strap which is transferring most of your weight to your front foot and this turns the board up wind which causes you to lose the power in your sail then you've got no chance of getting your foot in. It's all about mast foot pressure. So at the point when your getting powered up put as much weight as you can into your harness lines downwards which will create mast foot pressure. The board will pick up speed and want to bear down wind by itself. Keep hanging your weight off the boom and slowly put you foot into the front strap. Once you have achieved that keep that downward pressure on the boom and very slowly when you feel ready try to put your back foot in. You must keep your weight on the boom at this point because if you don't you will put weight into your front foot steering the board up wind again.
Good luck and if you think that you enjoy windsurfing now wait until you get into both straps. The extra control you have and speed you get in unreal. Even then still keep that downward pressure on the boom because it is what will help to save you from catapults

Oh yeah while i'm at it looks like you met John and probably Zorro in that case as well. John is a good bloke. He would be the one that when a big gust comes he will go flying past you with his butt cheeks clenches screaming like a girl trying to hang onto that Futura he has got. You might even see some big impressive jumps when he is on this gear. Don't worry he doesn't jump that much better than the rest of us they aren't intensional.

Thanks for the tips !!!!
I can see what im doing wrong... Practice makes perfect
Now i have a range of sails i can go out in most wind conditions
And i saw one person with a green sail do a jumpy flippy thing. IT WAS AWESOME !!!

One more small tip that may help if you havent already done so. Move the straps to the most inboard position and forward as possible to make it easier in the beginning. Also if the board allows maybe go with just a single strap to start with at the back. I know my son started using the chicken strap on his techno to start with as it was easier to get into then the outboard back straps.

That would be Haircut. Yeah the guy is good. Makes me feel useless but gives me something to aspire to.

My board does not allow the single strap on the back but its not a big deal. Once i get the technique down to stop me turning into the wind i should b fine.... i think
Nice jumpy flippy thing haircut

EDIT: With my bent mast extension.... if i take it to school and get it bent back will that it it more weak ??

Great pics mate! Sweet having shots of youself sailing hey. Anyway, I'm battling the strap issue to, and one simple tip a mate gave me that has made a world of difference was this- Get up on the plan out off the straps, once comfortably planning along, slip the front foot in, settle for a sec and than super gently lift and slip the rear foot in keeping most of your weight on the front foot- or more accurately as mentioned below by qldnarca, the mast base. I was stabbing my rear foot looking for the strap and rounding up and crashing big time

Anyway, by just going very gently when slipping in the rear foot has help me heaps. It may make your life easier too

Hope this helps a little.

Cheer mate.

Don't concentrate on putting weight on your front foot concentrate on mast foot pressure. Try and stay light on your feet to stop the board steering up wind. Obviously there will be some weight on your feet but put as much as you can down through the boom. That will help to maintain board speed and help planing.

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Aussiex said...

My board does not allow the single strap on the back but its not a big deal. Once i get the technique down to stop me turning into the wind i should b fine.... i think
Nice jumpy flippy thing haircut

EDIT: With my bent mast extension.... if i take it to school and get it bent back will that it it more weak ??

Are you using a RDM (skinny) or SDM (standard) mast? and how long do you need to be able to run your extension?

Hey,
It's an rdm mast. It's only a slight bend...just enough to make my mast get stuck at 25cm I need a 12cm extension and a 24cm extension... If i remember correct.

ahh, no good. I havd a chinook SDM extension you can have, but no spare RDM ones.

If you try to straighten it be prepaired for it to fail, the metal fatigues once bent and is never the same. Unfortunatly if it fails it will be at the worst possible time.

hmm... thanks for thought anyway :)
It will have to do for now... i will save for another one. I also need a new base cause i broke my other one lol. Might have to skip the new boom for now and buy the essentials lol.

I'm pretty happy with my Severne wave grenade base and extension, I'm sure either Surf FX or Board Crazy could help you out with one of these bad boys.

The good thing about a decent base and extension is they last for years, with just some basic maintenance like replacing the UJ/Tendon and rope annually. Will set you back about $140 or so for the full setup though.

By the looks of it you are using a chinook alloy boom in the pics, nothing wrong with that bit of kit. They are a decent boom, so better spending the $$ on the base parts and get that sorted. If $$$ are an issue I may be able to scrounge some 2nd hand stuff together for you, would have to have a look at what might be lurking in the shed at home.

There is nothing really wrong with my boom. its just old and the grip has gone... brittle i guess you would say and it is abrasive on my hands after a day of sailing. Aswell its a fairly thick grip where i prefer the thinner. It's just something i would like more then i need
If you could have a look to see if you have any 2nd hand stuff i could get that would be GREAT!!
Thanks ill check out the base and extension aswell.

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qldnacra said...

That would be Haircut. Yeah the guy is good. Makes me feel useless but gives me something to aspire to.

I'd recognize that cap anywhere (photo n°4 with the combat..)

I've brought my bent extension to school today to see if i can fix it.... Im getting some strange looks from everyone for having a metal pipe sticking out the top of my bag...

Be real careful when straightening it. Aluminiuim does not like being bent once, and bending back it tends to fracture...

No good..... My industrial skills teacher said it wouldnt work :(
o well i can still use it for my 5.2 :)

Tip: When only learning how to get into the straps, do not buy a starboard hypersonic with pads located pretty much on the rails... That was certainly and interesting learning curve...